Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay is back in the country after an eight-day visit to India. Along with the Prime Minister, the Bodhi tree sapling; that was gifted to Bhutan to commemorate the 60th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, was also flown in.
Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay and the Venerable Dorji Lopen of the Zhung Dratshang had received the sapling on behalf of the Bhutanese people at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya in Bihar, India, yesterday.
Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay also offered prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple, Bhutanese Temple, Daijoky Buddhist temple and Sujata Village.
Before that, Lyonchhen spent a day touring Varanasi. His spiritual pilgrimage began at the Sarnath Archaeological Museum. The museum exhibits Buddhist artifacts recovered from the site of Lord Buddha’s first sermon in Sarnath.
At the entrance of the museum, Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay first examined a capital of an Ashokan pillar. The pillar dates back to the third century B.C. The museum at Sarnath was built in 1910. It is said that Buddhist Emperor Ashoka raised several monuments in the area.
Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay next visited the Chaukhandi Stupa. The stupa is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site. It was built as a terraced temple between the fourth and sixth century.
Lyonchhen also met with a few Bhutanese who live in Varanasi.
Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay offered prayers at the Dhamekha Stupa, the area where Lord Buddha met his disciples and gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. It is said that the Buddha himself told his disciples to visit four places- Lumbini, Bodhagaya, Sarnath and Kusinagara which were connected with his birth, enlightenment, first preaching and death.
In the evening, Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay offered prayers at the Ganga River. Lyonchhen also visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Lyonchhen was invited by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Ahemadabad.
